Tattoo Parlors and Vape Shops snatching retail-shop locations

It’s a sad fact that more and more storefronts in Britain are ending up empty nowadays. In fact, recent reports have said that one out of every ten retail sites in the UK is currently unoccupied – which is actually a staggering number, when you stop and think about it!

In an article that was recently published on Bloomberg.com, however, some insightful news was given about how some of the newer industries in the country might be changing that.

UK natives are well-known for their online shopping. In fact, they tend to be some of the most active online shoppers in the world. But the fact that more and more of these empty shop locations are being filled by tattoo parlors and vape shops tells us something about the changing environment in Britain.

Granted, these are newer businesses that haven’t necessarily proven themselves on such a level in a long-term capacity – but times are definitely changing, and they just might be here to stay if current trends continue.

Tattoo parlors

Tattoo shops have seen a pretty drastic increase in customer demand in the last few years. Over the last six years, the number of tattoo parlors in the UK has risen by 79%. As of last year, there were 2,288 tattoo parlors open for business in the UK – which is certainly a higher number of open shops than we used to see.

But this isn’t altogether surprising, either. Tattoos have been gaining popularity as they become more normalized. Some of this has to do with prominent public figures embracing them more than they used to. Tattoos used to be something that was edgy, or almost even considered a bit ‘trashy’ to the majority of the population.

But nowadays, it isn’t uncommon for people to describe them as beautiful, tasteful, or even elegant. The real truth is that they’ve become more normalized – possibly more than many have ever predicted. Getting a tattoo nowadays isn’t so different from buying a new shirt to a lot of people – with some small exceptions. Tattoos usually cost more and cover less – but they’re also permanent, and offer a way for people to express themselves in very creative ways.

Nowadays, when pop culture seems to be steering toward the idea of self-expression and uniqueness as mantras for the true modern human, tattoos really fit right in.

Vape Shops

Vape shops are another interesting development that many people probably weren’t planning on. Over the past six years, tobacconists (mostly consisting of vape shops) have quadrupled in number to 1,783 – which is certainly a record-high.

Vaping has found a unique niche in the UK market… probably due to the fact that the population is becoming more health-conscious than it has been for a long time. People have always been interested in staying healthy, but maintaining a healthier lifestyle has almost become a growing fad as of late – and E-cigs fit right into this as stigmas against tobacco products are on the rise.

People are beginning to realize that cigarettes are actually very, very bad for you – and the number of smokers in the UK continues to fall.

Why are more people turning to vaping?

Some people are turning to vaping to quit their cigarette habit. It still gives them their nicotine fix, but it does so in a way that’s said to be up to 95% less harmful than smoking.

In a sense, vaping is kind of like the ‘new fruit smoothie’ of the tobacco world… maybe not in a vitamins-and-minerals sense, but in a trendy-alternative-to-the-stuff-that’s-really-bad-for-you sense. It’s pleasant. It offers a variety of benefits over the alternative. And, it can help you to quit your tobacco habit without forcing you to give up nicotine altogether.

Information! A UK E-liquid and vaping company called Totally Wicked even made history earlier this year by being the first UK company to build an actual fluid production factory. They describe it as a ‘cutting edge facility for e-liquid production’, and claim that they needed it to help meet the growing demand for their products.

The interesting fact to take note of is that there is serious money being spent in this industry.

A lot of people don’t seem to like the fact that E-cigs are becoming more popular, and are even afraid that they might be dangerous – but what these people are also failing to take into account is that nicotine is a very, very tough habit to break!

The fact that people have such a compelling alternative nowadays is actually quite impressive. As humans who are interested in moving forward and getting better, we should embrace such technologies instead of shunning them out of fear – and that’s exactly what seems to be happening in the UK.

In the future, who knows how far fads like vaping and tattooing will go? Maybe they will die out at some point (after all, TPD is introducing some major changes in the industry) – but they both share a bit of common ground in that, right now, they are becoming more mainstream than anyone probably would have realized a few scant years ago.

About The Author

NicoleIt's my passion to do the research about familiar to me topics, especially when it comes to electronic cigarettes and the whole vaping industry as such. I hope you will find my content useful and when / if you do - please do share it! I will appreciate it! :) See our ''Who We Are'' page to find out more about me and my colleagues. Thanks and I look forward to your comments and feedback.